


Bad Liar

by LeftSponge



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Accidental Incest, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dante & Nero are shit with feelings, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Past Nero/Kyrie, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post DMC 5, Rating May Change, Uncle/Nephew Incest, Vergil gives the best advice, Vergil has the sparda braincell, Vergil thinks their both idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-02-07 08:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18616996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftSponge/pseuds/LeftSponge
Summary: Three months after the Redgrave incident Dante & Nero are forced to deal with their feelings for one another, feelings that have been building for the past five years (Since the Events of DMC4) but after a year apart a sadness has taken root in Nero's heart and the ties that bind the two are wearing thin. With a threat looming in the darkness and a wedge driven between the two can they reconcile and come to terms with their feelings or has the strain put on their relationship already caused to much damage.[Not as serious or Angsty as it seems cause I'm a sucker for fluff and love]





	1. Loveless Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Continuation of the short story for my Dante/Nero Edit on YouTube, you can find that video [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNWaNJm5F9s) <3 the story is in the description.  
> Any mistakes are my own, and this is my first public fic so please be gentle with me.

"Morally wrong?" Vergil commented in his usual flat tone from his spot on the fleshy ground. Dante spun around wide-eyed and gawked down at his elder twin. "O-of course it's morally wrong!" He sputtered, arms flailing as he gestured around. "He's my Nephew for crying out loud Vergil, your Son!" The devil hunter crossed his arms as he paced back and forth, the hellish sky looming over the two of them as they spoke. "Hardly," Vergil stated bluntly, his gaze trained upward, watching Dante pace with little interest, the ground making odd squelching noises with each step he took. 

It had been Three months since the events of the Redgrave nightmare, Three months of battling their way through hell just to make sure another demon tree didn't sprout up from them not eradicating all the now dormant Qliphoth roots. Three months of catching up to do and reconciling between him and Vergil, and most importantly, three months away from Nero. Sure Dante was trying to keep distance between them, sure he had been ghosting the kid for nearly a year before this, and yeah, sure maybe despite his suspicions and the truth of Nero's existence finally coming out Dante still had feelings for the kid, turned nephew. He couldn't get the younger out of his head, no matter how long he was away and how many demons they slaughtered. It was like having a permanent knot in his chest when they were apart, his instincts screaming at him to make Nero his, But dammit! Their, whatever they have, was wrong and destined to fail, it didn't matter if it was love at first gunfight or how perfect their lips fit together during their first kiss, it was his nephew!

Dante continued his pacing, occasionally biting the inside of his cheek or clenching and unclenching his fists.  
"You two have confessed your feelings? Yes?" the elder of the two asked, his cold, calculated stare seemingly looking through his brother and analyzing everything as they spoke. Dante cleared his throat "Well, yeah." Vergil let out a soft 'hmm' before speaking once more "Have you two kissed?" Dante looked anywhere else then at Vergil, opting instead to look at his feet and kick a bit at a small, dried up demon carcass from their most recent fight. Dante mumbled a half-assed "Yeah." "Have you two had sex?" Dante let out a grumble before finally locking eyes with Vergil. "Ya Know, why does this matter?" He said with a huff. Vergil's lip twitched at that before the faintest of smiles graced his features. "Made Love then noted." Dante let out a strangled groaning noise before kicking the mangled corpse to the side and storming off. "Child," Vergil muttered, standing from his resting place and stalking after his twin. 

"You do realize we are demons, correct Dante?" Dante flipped him off, as he continued through the hellscape, occasionally stepping in rancid pools of blood. "What I mean to say is Familial relations mean us little, most actually wed their family, even siblings, for the strength that lies in the blood. Maybe that's a better outlook you could have?" Dante didn't even look back as he spoke, "Cool story, still Incest." Vergil clenched his jaw. The two continued on, bickering as they walked, Vergil's patience wearing thin as the conversation carried on. "Fine act like a fool, but you talk as if you care so deeply for Nero, but have you ever stopped and thought about his feelings? Dante stopped dead in his tracks, turning on his heel, his jaw clenched and his voice low, "Don't you dare Vergil." Vergil fixed his twin with a look of his own "Your to busy worrying about the logistics of your relationship, yet you never stop to think how this affects him." Dante gave Vergil a warning growl, daring him to continue his words came out harsh, and his tone deadly serious "I care so much about that kid, he deserves as normal of a life as he can get, he doesn't need to be wrapped up in some backward relationship with his demon uncle! He'll only get hurt!" "But you are Hurting him!" Vergil growled out. Eyes going wide Dante quickly averted his gaze, let out a shaky sigh, and turned his head, walking back off in the same direction.

This time Vergil was not having any more of Dante's stupidity. With one quick motion, he surged forward, slamming all of his weight into the younger's back. The two tumbling over one another in a brief scuffle, ending with Dante landing face down in a small puddle of blood and Vergil putting his full weight onto his back. "You need to take responsibility for your actions and not run away, If you truly love him, then own up to that, but if you want to end things, you need to do it and stop being a coward." With that Vergil let Dante's head come out of the puddle, and shifted off of his brother, so he was instead sitting next to him. Dante slowly raised his head from the pool of rancid blood and sat up, wiping the filth from his face using the bottom of his shirt. Dante let out a deep sigh as he let the fabric fall back into place, his gaze averted once more from the others. "Shit… why do you have to be right…?" Vergil let out a partial chuckle as he stood up from the ground. "It appears I inherited the brain in the family" Dante scoffed, and let out a laugh of his own. "keep telling yourself that if it's what helps you sleep at night." He reached his hand up for Vergil to help him up, which he did without question, resting his hand on the youngers shoulder. Dante shook his head, "I love him, I know that much… but the hell would I even say to the kid?" Vergil simply shrugged "What you have with Nero is strong, I can sense that much. You two will know what's right for both of you. With time all things can be mended," Dante nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess your right, I mean, took us almost 40 years, but here we are."   
Vergil smiled slightly "Indeed brother" 

He released Dante's shoulder, turning briefly to scope out the land around them "I think it's time you return home, to Nero." Dante let out a gasp in mock hurt, "You want me to leave already, and here I thought we were bonding." Vergil simply rolled his eyes and turned his back to Dante and taking up his usual battle stance. "What about you?" Dante asked, giving his twin a quizzical look. "I'll do one more scope of the area, but I believe we are finished here. I'll be behind you post haste" with that he quickly unsheathed Yamato, slicing a quick cross into the air as the fabric of reality split open at his command. "Get going before your stupidity attracts more demons." The elder twin grumbled as he focused on maintaining the portal. Dante gave the other one of his signature grins as he walked towards the portal. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do" Vergil watched him step in "That's hardly specific." Dante gave his brother a brief wave as he continued forward, the portal quickly closing behind him.  
\---  
Nero lounged quietly on the couch at the Devil May Cry office, his eye's barely processing the show that played on the old Tv in front of him. It was some drama show about a young Batman? He thought, But he didn't really know, he was to busy with his thoughts. The past three months had been a blur, Dante and Vergil had leaped into hell, leaving him alone on the top of that damn tree. He had tried to go back to his normal life, he really had, but after two weeks in Fortuna, he couldn't shake the effect Dante had on him. The feelings he had tried to ignore for the past year all came bubbling back the second he awoke from his armless coma, with V sitting next to his bed telling him Dante needed help.

It was bad enough when the bastard sent him the damn sign for the van but seeing him? That was a whole other story. So after the Redgrave incident, he had really tried to go home, back to Kyrie, back to his life, but this time he knew it was different. After so long apart, being near the elder hunter awoken something in him that yearned for Dante, and he couldn't quite shake or understand why. He was beginning to hate himself for it, feeling such a strong pull towards a man who acted like he wanted very little to do with him anymore. It wasn't long after this revelation he broke up with Kyrie. She hadn't taken it to bad, she was rather relieved Nero was honest about his feelings for once. He promised her he would keep in touch and that she was still an important part of his life, but he couldn't be with her, not like this, he was a mess. The next morning he caught the early ferry to the mainland and wound up at the doorstep of the agency to the surprise of Trish and Lady. 

Now here he was, three months later, sitting alone in the office with his thoughts.  
His cell phone buzzed on the small coffee table, and with a begrudging sigh, he tore his gaze from the screen and grabbed it. He unlocked it, and his eyes fell upon the new notification, it was a text from Lady: 'Hope you're not having to rough of a time, we're thinking of you Nero, we know how hard it is being alone right now. We're going to wrap up this job as soon as we can and the next one all three of us can go, sound good?' 

Nero clicked the button on the side of his phone, turning the screen off and laying it back down on the wood surface before sitting up. Lady and Trish had reluctantly taken some extermination job at an old hospital out of town, it was a good paying job, and he would be damned if they passed it up for his mopey ass, so he put on a happy facade and ushered them out the door before they could re-think it. "Pshh, I don't need to be coddled, I ain't some kid" he mumbled to himself, glaring at his phone. 'What am I doing, I mope around, barely get out other than to do jobs. I'm like a lost puppy, waiting for someone who doesn't give a shit.' He thought, gritting his teeth. 'Dante is gone, and he doesn't care… so why the hell should I?' Nero put his head in his hands and sighed through his nose. He stood from the couch, lifting up the remote to turn of the tv and slamming it down violently before snatching up his phone. 

Crossing the room he grabbed his blue coat off of the rack by the door and stuffed the small device into the pockets. 'I need to get out, maybe go get some fresh air before I tear this whole place apart' he thought. With the shadier sides of town in mind, he figured he could easily find a few weak demons to put the beat down on and relieve some stress. Holstering Blue Rose and pulling Red Queen from her case he made his way to the door, barely registering the click of the lock as it was opened from the outside.  
\---  
Dante breathed in the fresh air, granted the air in Capulet city wasn't the best, but it was nothing compared to the underworld that was for damn sure. Vergil hadn't exactly put him close to the shop, he was about half a mile away, decently close to the diner he frequented when the girls would nag him about eating pizza for every meal. "Looks like I better get walking." He said, making his way in the direction of the shop. Dante wasn't typically the type to think things through, he was a more "Take action" kind of guy so when Dante found himself thinking about how he would make his way to Fortuna and trying to formulate the proper words to say to Nero he found it pretty uncharacteristic. "Nero, your looking really good, it's been awhile…" No that wasn't right "Hey, I was in the neighborhood, just uh thought I'd drop by?" Naw, that's to suspicions." "Nero I'm sorry for ghosting you for a year and a half, but I'm….." he trailed off letting out a deep sigh "I'm an idiot…. Maybe I should just call him, see if he would even want to see me." He hung his head and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat "This is going to be a lot harder than it seems." 

After his brief walk, he found himself down the street from the shop, the red neon light from the sign illuminating the street out front. He jogged the rest of the way, trudging through a few puddles from a recent rainfall that sat on the sidewalk. Once he reached the front of the building, he took the porch steps two at a time, fueled by the excitement of a shower, his bed and… Nero? He stopped at the door, the key in his hand as he smelt the air emanating from the shop. 'That's the kids all right' he thought, but what was he doing here? He pushed the key into the lock, the mechanism making an audible click before he turned the knob and pushed open the door.  
\---  
The door creaked open, and Nero went still at the sight before him. The glow from the porch light and the sign out front provided just the right amount of light to illuminate the figure before him. He felt his heart rate speed up as the familiar scent filled his nose accompanied by the stench of rancid demon blood. "D-Dante?" He said dumbfounded, even covered in demon blood and grime he couldn't mistake the elder hunter for anyone else, it was Dante, he was back home, but how? And why the hell did it take so long? Will he make me leave? All this and more raced through Nero's mind, his frustration from earlier bubbling to the surface. Dante went wide-eyed and let out an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck "Hey kid… long time no see?" 

WACK!

Nero delivered a solid punch to the elder hunters face sending him stumbling back into the doorway. Grabbing the frame to stop himself from falling down the porch stairs, Dante reached a hand up to touch his nose, pulling it back his fingers were covered in fresh blood. He looked dumbfounded at Nero who stood with his fists clenched and setting him in place with a look that could send the legions of hell running. "You have… A Lot of Nerve Dante!" Nero growled out as he charged forward to attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And If anyone is wondering, Nero never cheated on Kyrie. The two of them only started dating during his year apart from Dante. Baby boy would never do that! He is a good son!
> 
> I need Danero Friends Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Day62481825) & on [Tumblr](https://atomicsponges.tumblr.com/)


	2. Wish I could Erase it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHh This chapter did a number on me, I think it's cause I kept walking away from it only to come back and change so much every time.  
> All Spelling mistakes are mine R.I.P

Nero sat on the couch tapping a random beat onto his thigh. The sound of running water came to a stop, signaling that Dante would soon be joining him. Running fingers through his short hair he let out an annoyed sigh, his heart beating hard in his chest, What would he say to Dante? Would He be pissed Nero was staying here? All these thoughts and more ran through Nero's head, anxiety pooling in his chest. Footsteps could be heard near the bathroom door, and Nero sucked in a breath, quickly shifting his gaze from the door to the adjacent wall. 

An audible click came from the bathroom door as it opened, the old wood creaking on its hinges followed by a puff of steam drifting out into the main office. Dante lingered in the doorway, a pair of clean sweatpants sitting loose on his hips and a white towel draped over his bare shoulders. His shaggy hair dripping water onto the wooden floor. He let out a pleased noise and stretched his arms over his head "Nothing like a good shower, I will never take it for granted ever again." He peeked over at Nero, taking in the youngers demeanor now that the kid had a chance to cool down. He seemed calm, or at least as calm as he would ever be, 'Good' Dante thought to himself making his way over to the couch. Nero begrudgingly scooted over to give him space to sit, crossing his arms tight against his chest in his usual pouty fashion the second Dante took a seat. It didn't take long for an uncomfortable silence to set in around them, Dante occasionally stealing glances and Nero looking anywhere but at Dante.

Dante opened his mouth, his jaw making a few soft clicks as he reached his hand up to gently rub at the sore spot on his cheek. "Man kid, did you really have to go all out?" Nero huffed, his eyes never once looking over at Dante. "You deserved every single one you got," he growled out. At that, a slight chuckle escaped Dante's lips' Fair point' he thought. "Yeah, Yeah I get it… at least try and look happy to see me, What if I ordered pizza? Would that put you in a better mood?" Nero scoffed "Pizza doesn't solve everything old man." 

The uncomfortable silence resumed, Nero, going back into his thoughts and Dante sitting there quietly looking for the right words to say, there didn't seem to be any. His own thoughts began to wonder why was Nero here? He had his place in Fortuna, was he visiting the girls? Dante's eyes scanned the room, the shop had been in surprisingly good shape, much better than what it usually was when Dante had the place to himself. It was neat and organized, come to think of it so was the bathroom, it was a no brainer Nero had something to do with it considering Lady and Trish would never clean up after Dante no matter how much they stuck their nose up at his messy habits. Dante's gaze shifted back to the younger, the silence quickly getting to him, 'Might as well try and get to the bottom of things' sucking in a breath he finally found it in him to speak. "So kid, what brings you all the way out here, don't you have your girl at home?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Nero took a moment before finally responding, his words were hesitant, and his hands fidgeted in his lap "Were not together anymore" he mumbled quietly. Dante's mouth formed an 'O' shape "I'm sorry kid… did you two get into a fight Or something?" Nero shook his head, "No… It was something we both agreed to" he lied, he didn't want Dante to know how he still harbored feelings, fearing it might just be another reason for Dante to kick him out.  
"I see…" he paused and looked back out into his clean office space for a brief moment before fixing his icy blue eyes back onto the younger hunter "Nero? have you been crashing here?" Dante asked, removing his hand from his sore face and motioning to the couch. Nero nodded once more, the nod seeming stiff and reluctant he opened his mouth and quickly closed it, letting out a tired sigh. "Nowhere else to go…" he mumbled. 

Reaching out his hand, Dante hesitantly ruffled Nero's short locks, making a mental note to compliment Nero about his haircut at a better time since he didn't have the chance to before. He let out a soft chuckle, watching Nero scowl and swat his hand away from his head. "Well kid you always have a place here, don't forget that." He said softly, shifting his arm to rest on the back of the couch behind Nero. Nero breathed out a sigh of relief and his shoulders relaxed, he wasn't getting kicked out that was more then he could have hoped for. The relief washed through him and for a brief moment, he felt at peace, but Nero's thoughts continued to race. His brow furrowed and he looked down at his hands, the relief quickly getting replaced with rage the more he thought about the past year, and for the first time in their entire interaction, Nero shifted his gaze from the wall to glare at Dante, his baby blue eyes shooting daggers at the elder hunter. Dante hadn't wanted him near him for the past year, and Nero sure as hell wasn't going to let that go. His chest felt tight as he thought about all the times he had been brushed off, texts left on read, and calls not being returned. "Well sorry if I think otherwise now that your back, You haven't exactly wanted me around or to even talk to me for the past year." 

Dante let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head "Nero… I had my reasons…" Nero clenched his teeth, his glare becoming more intense signaling that the anger from before was slowly but surely bubbling back to the surface. "Yeah, No offense but your reasoning is bullshit." He watched Nero glare at him for a long moment, hesitant to say anything to push the kid over the edge and dig a deeper hole for himself "Nero, Let's talk about this" Dante kept his voice calm as he spoke under Nero's intense gaze. "Talk about what exactly? How you said you loved me and then barely spoke to me for a year? How you knew you were my uncle this whole time? Or how about instead of talking everything out with me and TRYING you felt like going M.I.A in hell for three months." Dante opened his mouth to speak, and Nero quickly cut him off before he had the chance. "You had a way to come back the entire time, what the hell took so long!?" Demonic energy radiated off of Nero as he spoke, it swirled in the air around the two men almost as if an invisible fog had begun shrouding the room. It was evident Nero was furious with him, but underneath it, all Dante could feel the pain and hurt. A knot formed in the elder's chest, Vergil had been right, and Dante was kicking himself for hurting the kid. "So yeah, Dante, where do you want to start?" 

“Nero… I'm sorry." Nero quickly stood from the couch and glared down at Dante, his hands balled into fists. "Sorry ain't gonna cut it Asshole" he snarled. Dante quickly raised his hands in surrender and leaned back into the worn out leather of the couch. "I want An explanation! I don't want to hear that your sorry I want you to explain to me why you did what you did, and no bullshit!" Dante crossed his arms against his chest, letting a deep sigh escape his lips. He took a moment to think things over, all while trying his best to decide what was the least sensitive thing to talk about and shoehorn in an explanation that didn't end in him getting pummeled again. Though he knew damn well, he would deserve it.

With a slow inhale Dante opened his mouth and began to speak.  
"We had to make sure all those roots were taken care of. After that tree came down most of them laid dormant and were hard to track down and dig up, yeah it took us forever but we had to be sure, or another one could have sprouted up in its place. I wanted to tell everyone what was going on, but between demon attacks and dealing with Vergil, I never had the chance to." Nero stood there quietly as Dante explained himself, the energy he radiated calming ever so slightly as he listened. Dante felt his inner devil reach out with his own and help calm Nero down the best he could.

"I didn't want to leave you behind, but I thought it was for the best. The last thing you needed was me making shit harder for you." letting out a sad laugh Dante ran his fingers through his hair, water dripping onto his exposed skin "You had a life, you had normalcy, I was selfish and took advantage of you, made you second guess all of that." Nero furrowed his brow as he stared up into icy blue eyes. "I can make my own decisions, Dante! If I left Fortuna that was on me, you didn't influence my feelings or my thoughts at least not back then!" Nero's voice quivered as the words left his lips a hint of fear briefly crossing Nero's features as if he had said too much.

Dante raised an eyebrow, and quizzically cocked his head to the side "What do you mean Kid?" he asked. Nero shook his head and turned away, mentally kicking himself. "Just Nevermind!" He spat, though he himself didn't quite know what he meant. It wasn't like he wanted his thoughts and actions to revolve around Dante, something deep inside him just pulled him in those directions, like instincts. "Look what I'm saying is I can decide for myself what's right, what's wrong, and what's important to me, alright?!" He said, telling that more to himself than to Dante. Dante nodded, not wanting to press too much. He chose to instead raise himself off of the couch to stand in front of Nero, so the two were standing face to face. A silence filled the room, the two staring at each other for a long while. Dante opened his mouth to try and speak "Nero-" He was quickly cut off 

"Why didn't you tell me I was Vergil's son?" Nero mumbled, the question was blunt, but there was no anger in it, and it didn't seem accusatory, only heavy and filled with confliction as if the words were hard to hear out loud. Dante wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull him into his arms, to stroke his hair and ease Nero's pain, his inner devil practically was begging him to close the gap between them, but he knew that wouldn't go over well. He instead kept his arms at his sides as Nero looked away, not wanting to meet the elder hunters gaze. "Like I said I was selfish, I was afraid that if I told you what I thought I would have lost you and It, I don't know… ? would weird you out? It sure as hell did for me, and at that point, it was just a suspicion. I felt wrong for it like it was was wrong for loving you but keeping it from you was rough too, I should have never done that and just been upfront about it all." 

Letting out a shaky breath Nero turned back to face the elder hunter, his eye's holding less anger and more pain then they had earlier. "Damn right, you should of Old man!" Nero drew his arm back and went to deliver a punch to Dante's chest. Dante quickly reached his hand up to grab it out of reflex, his fingers closing around the younger hunters fist. The blow was half-hearted, signaling to Dante that Nero's resolve was quickly waning. "Look, Nero, I get it, I fucked up and yeah I'm a huge dumbass, but in the end I want you to be happy." He felt Nero's fist relax in his hand, baby blue eyes going wide at the words. Dante gave his fist a reassuring squeeze and met no resistance. Taking it as a good sign, he continued speaking. "Even If that means beating me till I'm black and blue or calling me an Idiot till your voice goes hoarse." Nero's aura calmed at Dante's words, the hurt was still there, but the anger was quickly dissipating, the tension in the room leaving with it.

Dante slowly slipped his fingers into the spaces between Nero's, gently weaving their fingers together. The youngers gaze dropped to their hands, his eyes softened, and light pink dusted over his cheeks. "I want to make it up to you, everything I've done. To work through this shit show" Dante continued, his words tender. "To make everything right..." shaking his head Nero closed his eyes, reveling slightly at Dante's touch, wishing it could be this easy and everything could be okay, but it wasn't at least not to him. He had been on the receiving end of Dante's promises once before, they ended up being hollow and empty, what made this any different?

He opened his eyes and stared up into Dante's "Dante, it's going to take more than this…" he gestured to their hands but did nothing to pull away. "A Lot more and…" He paused, his voice hesitant, "I don't know if I'm ready for that." After a long moment, he untangled his fingers from Dante's and pulled away, making sure to take a step back for good measure. The knot in his chest tightened, and everything inside him was screaming to stay close to Dante, but he couldn't cross that bridge, couldn't give in to his instincts no matter how badly he wanted to. 

"I know…" he sighed out "Just I feel like If you give me a chance I-" Dante cut himself off and instead of continuing he carded his fingers through his wet hair, Vergil's words ringing through his head "Time…" he muttered. This was a delicate situation Dante told himself, he wanted to try, but he couldn't just put a bandaid on a year's worth of pain and expect Nero to run into his arms, he needed to help heal Nero's wounds before he could even think about their relationship. 

"Dante…" Nero gave the elder hunter a confused look, watching him seemingly get lost in thought. Dante's focus snapped back to Nero, shaking his head slightly. "Sorry… er- I think I'm just tired." Nero nodded his agreement. "No shit old man, you probably haven't slept properly in months." Dante chuckled at that, offering Nero one of his signature smirks. "Don't worry kid, a little rest and relaxation and I'll be good as new, we should probably both get to bed…" Nero nodded, averting his eyes to the couch "Yeah… I think that's for the best." His words were quiet, hesitant, it was for the best he reminded himself. 

The two said their goodnights, an excuse to linger in each others presence for a while longer before going their separate ways. Dante ascending the stairs, the strain put on his body the past three months evident in every step he took, while Nero watched, waiting till he was at the top before turning off the downstairs lights and falling back onto the couch. As he laid there, the conversation weighed heavy on his mind and heart, it was for the best they were apart, he was safer no matter what that mysterious force made him feel. He wouldn't get hurt this way. 

\---  
Across the street, from the Devil May Cry office, a figure cloaked in shadow watched as the lights throughout the building turned off, first the downstairs and then the lights of the second floor. Pulling their hood down more to obscure their face, they narrowed their eyes at the building, crouching closer to the roof of the building they were perched atop. Bringing a hand up to their ear, a feminine voice spoke softly into the earpiece. "Dante is back," she said. "But the other with Sparda blood still resides in the building with him." A deep voice spoke into her earpiece, a deep chuckle resonated from the device. "Oh, I have plans for him, worry not. You have done your mission well, return back as soon as you can. I will be taking this from here on out." She nodded, standing from her crouched position as she turned to face away from the building. "Yes, my lord." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's weird writing Demon esque instinct things without it fully just devolving into Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics so bear with me while I find my voice. 
> 
> (THE SONG I FEEL BEST REPRESENTS NERO'S FEELINGS IN THIS CHAPTER IS: What a Time by Julia Michaels)
> 
> I need Danero Friends Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Day62481825) & on [Tumblr](https://atomicsponges.tumblr.com/)


	3. I’ve been askin’ for problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came way easier for me, BUT I WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED!

The next few days had been uneventful between the two Dante would occasionally try and come out of his room looking obviously exhausted despite his bad jokes and failed attempts to convince Nero he was fine. When he came out of his room to stretch his legs or eat he would try and leave the office to go on walks and even try to answer the phone when the occasional odd jobs would come up. Nero would have to wrestle it away from him and send the elder hunter back to his room to relax. It was the equivalent of living with a whiny child and as funny as it would be to watch Dante get his ass trampled by a few weak demons, Nero still wanted to make sure Dante was back to full health before he even thought about leaving his sight.

Nero couldn't explain why there was just something in him that needed to know Dante was safe and it was slowly becoming more and more evident the longer he stayed around him. But what had changed? He had been around Dante countless times for the past five years and never had to deal with anything like this, was it a demon thing? Did Dante have to deal with similar things? His heart would skip a beat, or he would get tongue-tied when talking to the elder, and don't get him started on Dante's light touches and flirting. It was insufferable Nero was mad at Dante, didn't that count for anything? Apparently not when it came to his feelings for the elder.

Nero was dragged from his thoughts when a familiar creaking of a door upstairs could be heard. He shifted his legs off of Dante's desk, sitting up in the chair. He let at an annoyed sigh and looked up towards the top of the stairs" Dante?" he called out, watching as the elder walked out of the hallway and leaned against the railing. "The one and only," Dante said with a cheeky grin. Nero rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. "What are you doing?" Nero asked, giving the elder a skeptical look. He could see that Dante was in much better shape today, the slight bags under his eyes and the apparent exhaustion that could be seen in every movement the day after he got back seemed to be going away, But that didn't make Nero any less suspicious. Dante shrugged and continued to smile down at Nero.

Nero took in the other's appearance, looking him over head to toe, letting out an irritated noise when he noticed what Dante was wearing. Dante was fully clothed and looked ready to take on the day as if he hadn't just left literal hell only a few days ago. "The hell do you think you're doing?" Nero asked again, his eyes glaring daggers up at Dante who continued to give Nero that damned smile. "Whaaat? a guy can't get out of bed and be a functioning member of society?" Dante asked, and it only succeeded in making Nero scowl deepen. "Not when said guy has literally spent three months in hell. No, No he cannot," Nero stated bluntly. 

Dante let out a sigh and pushed off the railing, making his way downstairs. "C' mon Nero, I'm starting to get cabin fever here," Dante whined as he stood in front of the desk, resting his hands onto the wood surface. "We could get out, go grab some food or maybe ice cream" giving him a quizzical look, Nero rubbed a hand across his face and let out a deep sigh. "We?" Dante only grinned, hopefulness evident in his eyes. "Yeah we, you won't let me leave otherwise, and besides I figured you might want to get out to." Nero thought for a moment, giving a once-over of his surroundings before letting out a groan of defeat. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel trapped in the space long before Dante even stepped foot through the door, they could probably both benefit from getting out. With a reluctant sigh, Nero nodded "Fucking… yeah, getting out would be kinda nice." Dante grinned at that "See kid, I always have the best ideas." Nero gave him the middle finger before scooting the chair back and standing up. "Don't push your luck asshole, and don't think you're going to wander off once we're out," Nero said, walking over to the door and grabbing his coat from the hook. Dante let out a soft chuckle and gave Nero a wink. "And miss out on hanging out with you? Wouldn't dream of it." 

They decided to take Dante's car, but Nero had made it very clear he was driving. Dante only raised his hands in mock surrender, not particularly caring about that. He was simply happy to be out of his stuffy bedroom, enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and some actual quality time with Nero. Nero wanted space and needed time, Dante understood and was going to let him have that, but it wouldn't stop him from showing the kid a good time. 'Baby steps' he reminded himself, he had to build back up Nero's trust, prove to him that he cared.

The drive to the pizza parlor was spent in silence for the most part. Dante asked a few questions on how the girls were or how business had been, and Nero had only shrugged and given him a brief answer before gripping the steering wheel tighter. 'If you were here you wouldn't have to ask' Nero thought, but he kept it to himself, not particularly wanting to start a fight. Nero knew why Dante wasn't around and had a good reason why he stayed in hell like he did, but Nero was still frustrated about the lack of contact or the fact that he and Vergil had left him. He could have helped them! Made the process faster and helped mediate the two disgruntled siblings, something! But the words' Deadweight' hung heavy on his heart. 

Nero knew it was just his own insecurities getting the better of him, he couldn't take all of it out on Dante, it wouldn't make anything better. If he explained his feelings to Dante, maybe the elder could help him work through it, and a big part of him really liked the idea of that, but he couldn't help but feel afraid. Letting Dante it wasn't something he was particularly ready for no matter how much a part of him wanted to.  
Dante had his chance to know about how he felt, he had his chance to be there for him, and he blew it! He reminded himself. Nero quickly shook his head and let out a slightly annoyed sigh, earning him a concerned look from Dante. "Hey kid, you alright there?" He asked Nero's only reply was a slight nod.

It didn't take long to get there, but with the silent tension, it felt like an eternity. Nero parked the car, and the two made their way in, quickly being seated and ordering food. Nero still hadn't spoken or answered him with more than a shake of his head. He looked as if he were a thousand miles away, lost in his thoughts. "Nero, are you sure your okay?" Dante asked again, and Nero finally looked at him. "Yeah…" he mumbled, "I'm fine." Dante shook his head and let out a soft chuckle all while Nero shot him a glare. "The hell is so funny?" He growled. Dante shrugged. "You are, kid." He said a smile plastered to his face. "Your to caught up in that head of yours" Dante tapped the side of his own head for emphasis "I know it's easier said than done but what you need your not going to find up there, kid." Nero let out a huff and looked down at his hands. "Look, I know everything isn't okay, and you're pissed but I want you to try and have a nice time, you are the one who agreed to come" 

"Well, I only agreed to come cause I don't trust that your fully okay, dumbass" Nero grumbled. Dante reached over and grabbed his glass of water, bringing the cool glass to his lips as he took a drink, his eye's never once leaving Nero.  
"I'm happy you're worried about me if that means anything," Dante said, lowering the glass back onto the table and leaning back against the booth. "You don't see me complaining even though I've practically been under house arrest. It means a lot that you care, and I'm grateful." Nero scoffed, but his scowl finally subsided. It did mean a lot to Nero that Dante was acknowledging what he was doing for him, even if Nero didn't have a full explanation on why he was doing it at all. He felt his cheeks redden, and he quickly shook his head. His blush, however, didn't go un-noticed by Dante, the corners of his lips turning upright in a smirk.

"It's whatever…" he mumbled out finally turning his head to look at Dante. He could see the other man was giving him a genuine look of appreciation, and it only made Nero's blush deepen. He was pissed off, that wasn't going to change overnight, but in a way, Dante was right as much as he hated to admit it. He wasn't going to find any peace trapped in his thoughts. "Besides, If I just left you on your own and you up and died how the hell would I be able to yell at you for being such an idiot?" Dante chuckled at that and gave Nero a big grin that made something deep inside him stir, it was like the equivalent of having butterflies in his stomach but ten times stronger. Nero quickly shoved it down and suppressed whatever it was. "Ah c' mon kid, I'm sure you would find a way to give me an earful from beyond the grave." Nero relaxed slightly and actually let himself smile at that. 

When the pizza finally came Dante practically inhaled his first few slices as if he hadn't eaten in months, which to be fair he really hadn't. Nero watched him with mild curiosity as he bit into his slice. "Hey Dante, what the hell did you and Vergil do about food while you were gone?" Dante finished engulfing his own slice, grabbing a napkin to wipe the bits of grease away that clung to his fingertips. "Well there's actually a really simple explanation for that, we didn't." Nero cocked his head to the side, giving Dante a dumbfounded look. "What's that supposed to mean? You two didn't eat?" 

"Not one bit" Dante replied, grabbing another slice of the platter between them. "Demons don't need to eat, not really. Our bodies store energy and the things we intake really well so if you have enough stored up, you can just run off of that for a while." Nero nodded slowly taking a moment to process it, it made sense, especially considering powerful demons could be locked away and still be alive centuries later. "So that's why you were so exhausted, you've been running on nothing but your own power right?" Nero asked, receiving a thumbs up from Dante "Bingo kid, it takes some control to get the hang of, but I'm sure you could probably do it to now that you finally have an actual demon form and all that." He said with a mouthful of food.

Nero furrowed his brow, placing his slice of pizza back onto his plate as he thought for a moment. "What does having a demon form mean exactly?" He asked, and Dante let out a hum in understanding. "I had to learn a lot about what it meant on my own, and I've basically summed it up to Demon puberty." He said, taking a few quick bites of his pizza before speaking again "It's uh, well a lot of things start happening. You get a better grasp on managing your energy, it sure as hell takes a lot to maintain form, so you don't want to be wasting it all in one go. Let's see, a lot of your instincts kick in, fight or flight gets cranked up to the max, and this is the weirdest part of it all, it's like you have this little voice in your head." Dante cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's like your inner devil and instincts giving you the heads up on how your really feeling or if you particularly need something. It's really useful in fights." Dante shrugged. 

"It's really annoying at first, and you feel like you have to deny it or pretend it's not there, but I know from experience that just makes things harder almost like your denying your body what it needs." Nero's eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to speak only to quickly think better of it. Dante had just described exactly what he was going through, or at least a stronger version of it. That would explain all the intrusive thoughts or desire to make sure Dante was okay, was his inner devil telling him Dante was something he needed? No that couldn't be it, could it?

Dante raised his eyebrow as he ate his pizza watching Nero seemingly fester in his own thoughts. "Nero?" He asked in between bites and Nero's attention snapped back to Dante. "What does yours make you feel?" Nero asked suddenly, and Dante couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Wellll, it tells me a lot." He paused and thought for a moment before continuing. "Like it helps me get a feel for people, If their good or bad or even people at all. It helps me anticipate someone's moves in a fight or sneak attacks, I can feel the auras of other demons and sometimes powerful humans, helps me figure out what mood they're in, just regular run of the mill demon stuff." 

Nero nodded stiffly, a million questions running through his head that he didn't know how to ask. Did Dante have similar butterfly feelings? Was he feeling weird pulls to? "So it talks?" Nero asked hesitantly. Dante thought for a minute before answering "Well kinda, I mean it might actually talk to some people but it's like you just know what it's saying, it's not like Venom, I mean not really." Nero rolled his eyes, of course, Dante would compare it to Venom. "What if it tries to get you to do something you don't want to do?" Nero asked, his hands fidgeting on the table. Dante quirked his eyebrow, giving Nero an odd look. "Well… maybe just try to find a better outlet for that energy something that satisfies you just as much or in a similar way I suppose. Why kid? Your devil trying to tell you something?" Nero shrugged "Something like that…" he mumbled. 

"Well, kid, when Vergil comes back I'm sure he'll be able to explain it a lot better than I can he's kinda more of the expert on these demon things." Oh yeah, Vergil. Nero hadn't forgotten about his 'Father's' existence but never asked Dante what happened to the other man. "Where is he by the way?" Dante rubbed the back of his neck and let out a slight sigh "He wanted to stay behind for a bit, make sure everything was cleaned up before he left, he should probably be back any day now." 

Nero gave the elder hunter a flat look, narrowing his eyes "So you have no idea where he is?" He asked, and Dante only smirked. "Before you get on my case, he's changed a lot in three months, and he seems excited to talk to you, or at least as excited as Vergil can be. I trust his word." Dante said, grabbing his water and taking another sip. "He's excited to talk to me?" Nero mumbled, looking back down at his hands. 'This is going to be weird…' He thought. Dante gave Nero a knowing look as he reached across the table, giving the youngers hand a gentle squeeze and letting it linger. "Hey it ain't all bad, and I'll be here for you, just like you were for us." Nero shook his head, exhaling through his nose as he became overly aware of Dante's hand on his. "What if I don't want to talk to him?" He said quietly. Dante let out a quiet laugh and gave his hand another squeeze before returning it back to his side of the table. "That's nothing to be ashamed about, there is no rush and honestly if you don't give him the time of day I'm sure Vergil will understand." 

Dante paused for a brief moment, shaking his head. "Just know… he didn't know about you, kid. people do dumb things when they're young, but in his own way I think he wants to make up for lost time, get to know you a bit better, he just doesn't want to admit it." Nero gave a slight nod, his eyes looking up to meet Dante's. The butterflies came back as he stared at the elder hunter, finding comfort in his words and an odd peace that came with his presence. "You ready to head out, kid?" Dante asked as Nero ran a hand across his face. "Yeah, I'm ready." He mumbled, and Dante began flagging down the waiter.

\---  
The two had spent the rest of the day out and about, Dante had practically begged Nero to go to his favorite ice cream place, and Nero was just happy to get out of the office, so he complied with Dante's demands. It was dusk when Nero finally pulled the car up to the Devil May Cry office, parking the vehicle out front. And the two walked up to the front porch. The scent hit them first. It was the scent of blood that seeped out the crack in the open door of the office. The next was the dark red pool of blood on the porch. The pool of blood seemed to start outside, and a heavy trail led into the office, bloody handprints covering the doorknob. Nero stepped in front of Dante, unholstering blue rose as the two crept closer, his devil flaring his aura out as a warning to anyone inside. "Nero… something is wrong." Dante said, resting his hand on Nero's shoulder to pull him back a bit, his expression turning dark and serious. "No shit, dumbass!" Nero whispered, "what was your first clue?" Dante stepped in front of Nero and began walking towards the door. "When I smelled Vergil's blood," Dante stated bluntly, walking quickly up the steps and pushing the door open. 

Nero stayed close behind and as the door opened the two of them were met with a gruesome sight. There in front of Dante's desk sat Vergil, panting, and looking exhausted. His hand was clutching his side as a large gash leaked blood from in between his fingers with one leg pointed out in front of him, and the other angled slightly to the side. He furrowed his brow as they entered, his eyes trained on the shuddering mass on the floor that currently had Yamato keeping it stuck there. "What the fuck? Vergil?" Dante said, giving his twin a dumbfounded look. "If that's the mail lady you're in big trouble mister." Nero kicked him in the back of the leg. "This isn't funny, Dante!" Nero hissed, and Vergil finally shifted his gaze to acknowledge the two of them. "Indeed it isn't," Vergil muttered, reaching his free hand up to grip the edge of the desk and pull himself up to his feet. 

"This," he gestured to the crumpled up form on the ground "Attacked me while I was knocking on the door, I had just stopped using my energy reserves when she struck." He panted out. A soft chuckle came from the ground, but it quickly developed into a choked gurgling sound. "I mistook you for Dante, how funny that the other twin still lives, it won't matter though…" she trailed off as she went into a coughing fit. Nero stepped closer to aim Blue Rose at the intruders head. "I should have known it wasn't Dante when he came back alone, without his mate." She spat, her head turning in the direction of Nero. Nero's finger wrapped around the trigger, and he glared down at the demon, his heart rate increased dramatically at the mention of Dante's name. He felt a knot form in his chest, and he couldn't help the odd panic that was starting to rise up inside him.

"The hell do you mean, mate? And what do you want with Dante!?" He snarled, the gun mere inches from her cloaked head.  
Another laugh rang out from her dying form, and she turned her face up to glare golden eyes at Nero. "It matters not young one, the sons of Sparda will soon be dead, and my lord will claim you as a trophy when he rules this wretched world." Her speaking trailed off into more coughing. Nero let out a deep growl, his aura flaring up around him "You better start talking lady! What the hell are you after!?" Dante took a step forward, his devil reaching out to Nero's in an attempt to calm him down. "Kid… you need to calm down, she isn't going to talk." 

Nero's thoughts were running a mile a minute, his emotions going wild, but he felt anger and fear the strongest. He glared down at the dying woman as the last words left her lips. "Dante will die, and there is nothing you can do about it." She choked a bit before letting out her last breath, her body going slack and her head falling against the floor with a soft thud. Without a second thought, Nero pulled the trigger and fired shot after shot into the deceased demons head. The gunshots rang through the building as he fired, the scent of gunsmoke mingling with the scent of the demon and Vergil's blood. Dante took a few more steps forward, clearing the distance between him and Nero. He wrapped his arm around the youngers waist using his other hand to slide Nero's finger off the trigger and pull Blue Rose from his grip. Nero complied, his tense body seemingly relaxing at Dantes touch "It's okay, Nero, calm down, everything is okay." He shushed into Nero's ear, his own aura flaring out with a calmness that easily overtook Nero's own and enveloped the space around them. 

Nero let out a shaky sigh, turning around in Dante's grip and grabbing the elder hunter by the collar, his fingers digging into the red leather for purchase. "It's not okay, dammit! that could have been you dumbass" Dante shushed him with his hand, feeling the slight panic rise up from Nero's devil as the younger spoke. "No, it wouldn't have been me, cause I have you looking out for me, alright, kid? You need to calm down your not thinking straight, breathe for me, Nero." 

Nero stared at Dante for a long moment, tears threatening to fall from his eyes before he finally nodded. His inner devil or whatever Dante had called it was in full on panic mode, it made his chest feel tight and anxiety flood through his body at the mere thought of Dante getting hurt. His only solace was the fact that Dante was here in front of him, that he could touch and feel him. The word 'mate' appeared in his head, and he knew it was his devil's attempt to give a reason why he felt like this. Nero gritted his teeth and buried his face into Dante's Chest. "Dante, what the hell is wrong with me?" He whispered  
Dante and Vergil exchanged confused glances as Dante wrapped his arms around Nero, holding him close. "I really don't know kid…" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE PLOT THICKENS AND SOME SWEET MOMENTS BETWEEN THE BOYS AHHHHHH!  
> Vergil just wants to NAP!
> 
> I need Danero Friends Follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Day62481825) & on [Tumblr](https://atomicsponges.tumblr.com/)


	4. Update!

Howdy Howdy! I wanted to give a quick update to this fic! I am pleased that so many people have been enjoying it and I am absolutely going to finish it! It's just currently shelved until I have time to give my full attention to it as I am currently working on my other fic Of Greeks and Gods. 

I started writing this work when I was in a very strange mind set and haven't been able to work on it properly for awhile now, also I've been working a lot harder on practicing my writing and I'm noticing alot of things I don't enjoy about it. But I'm never one to give up easily!

I intend to sit down and re-write parts of it and actually put forth the effort that this work deserves! I am very attached to the story around this piece and hope breathing new life into it, and looking at it from a different angle will help me reach the conclusion I can be proud of!

Thank you so much for your support on this piece and I hope you all will enjoy the revised version in the future!

-Day/Sponge


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